School-to-Work Programs Offered by Technical Schools Provide a Viable Alternative to Traditional High Schools

Thirteen years are spent by a student, kindergarten through twelfth grade, attempting to attain a good education. Reading, math, writing, sciences, and the many other disciplines are introduced to the student during these thirteen years. The student graduates from high school with a high school diploma. This diploma is to denote the student completed and attained a good education. However, all too often students graduate and receive a high school diploma, yet have not attained skills necessary to enter the work force. More educational critics have cited statistics in which high school graduates fall short of employable skills when they complete the twelfth grade. Many of these students do not continue their education past the high school level. The students who drop out of school or are special needs students fall even further behind the students who graduate from high schools. Thusly, educators are attempting to improve the pedagogical processes of youth with curriculum geared directly toward the work force. The school-to-work programs offer students such a program. School-to-work programs allow students to select from a variety of programs, an alternative to traditional high school curriculum, finding success with many of their students finding employment once they have completed the programming. Many school districts are now looking at school-to-work programs for their students. Traditional high school curriculum offered students an introduction to many areas of study. The major disciplines, offered as required courses, taught students English, science, math, and history. Elective courses in high school offered students an introduction to areas of study in which the student held an interest such as foods, computers, and art. Both the required courses as well as the elective courses built a foundation of cognition in their areas of study. However, neither the required nor the elective courses prepared the students adequately for the work force. Math, as well as the other areas of study, offered sufficient cognition for day to day living, but did not prepare the student to enter the job market Computer classes built a foundation of computer skills but lacked the necessary curriculum for a student who desired to become a lab technician. School-to-work programs offer students an entire curriculum focused on a career goal. Classes are offered to prepare a student for a specific job position. The lab technician curriculum in a school-to-work program may require a sequence of eight courses to complete the program. Each course in the sequence is geared to complete a holistic career program. Once all courses are successfully completed, the student has received more than an introduction into the area of study. The student emerges with intensive training in a school-to-work program and is more thoroughly trained to enter the work force. The majority of students who complete a high school graduation never continue their education past high school. Those students that attempt to continue their education beyond high school never complete their degrees in schools of higher learning. Since the majority of high school graduates never continue their education, nor complete higher degrees, it becomes imperative to educate students in high schools with employable skills. School-to-work programs allow students to commute to their centers via school buses. The students receive high school credits upon successful completion of courses offered at the centers. The students also may earn collegiate credit for successful completion of certain programming and meeting certain criteria set forth by the local community college. By attending courses at the centers, the student avoids paying tuition for the comparable courses offered at community colleges. School-to-work programs offered to high school students eliminates tuition, and also eliminates the additional time needed to attend courses beyond high school. When students drop out of school, their chances of obtaining employment which will sustain a comfortable lifestyle drastically declines. …